I'm certainly no bear authority, but I live in a high black bear population area. I assume bears are frequently in the area, almost exclusively at night, but I don't worry about them. Guess I think of them as very large racoons. If I began seeing bears close to human habitation in the day time with any kind of frequency, I'd start snooping to discover the attraction, (read: food). Bird feeders up? Trash cans or dumpsters available? (Of course, this goes for neighbors as well as one's own place). Once bears learn food is available, they can be a royal nuisance. Like you, I'd not be happy about having bears too comfortable with people.

A couple summers ago, my secretary and her husband agreed to keep watch on a remote cabin for a friend. The cupboards were filled with canned goods. One enterprising "Yogi" discovered he could knock the glass out of the window to gain access to goodies. Yogi then tore all the cupboards off the wall and chewed open cans to his heart's delights. My secretary discovered a blood covered floor (from glass cuts) and "nuclear winter" throughout the cabin. After she painstakingly cleaned up the mess, Yogi repeated twice more. Ultimately, the owner got permission to send Yogi to that great Jellystone Park in the sky.

The point is, food was the culprit. If your bear(s) has discovered a rewarding food source, it may be necessary to contact your wildlife authorities for relocation (in the here or hereafter).

There are, of course, predatory (towards humans) black bears, but thankfully, they are very rare.

PC